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Bongi Mbonambi

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Bongi Mbonambi
Full nameMbongeni Theo Mbonambi
Date of birth (1991-01-07) 7 January 1991 (age 33)
Place of birthBethlehem, Orange Free State, South Africa
Height1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)[1]
Weight108 kg (17 st 0 lb; 238 lb)[1]
SchoolSt. Alban's College
UniversityTUT
Rugby union career
Position(s) Hooker
Current team Sharks / Sharks (Currie Cup)
Youth career
2007 Griffons
2008–2012 Blue Bulls
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2011 TUT Vikings 3 (0)
2013–2014 UP Tuks 8 (5)
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2012–2014 Blue Bulls 30 (5)
2012–2014 Bulls 15 (0)
2015–2021 Stormers 73 (25)
2015–2021 Western Province 29 (30)
2021– Sharks 19 (50)
Correct as of 1 January 2023
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2009 South Africa Schools
2011 South Africa Under-20 5 (0)
2016–present South Africa 73 (70)
2016 Springbok XV 1 (0)
Correct as of 31 August 2024
Medal record
Men's Rugby union
Representing  South Africa
Rugby World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2019 Japan Squad
Gold medal – first place 2023 France Squad

Mbongeni Theo Mbonambi (born 7 January 1991), known mononymously as Bongi, is a South African professional rugby union player. He currently plays as a hooker for the Sharks as well as the South Africa national rugby team. He previously played for the Blue Bulls, making his senior debut during the 2012 Super Rugby season against the Crusaders in Pretoria. Mbonambi was a member of the South Africa Under 20 team that competed in the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship.[2]

International rugby

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On 28 May 2016, Mbonambi was included in a 31-man South Africa squad for their three-test match series against a touring Ireland team.[3] Mbonambi was named in South Africa's squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.[4] South Africa went on to win the tournament, defeating England 32-12 in the final.[5] Mbonambi was also named in South Africa's squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

In the semi-final match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup against England, Mbonambi was accused of making a racial slur against Tom Curry.[6] It was speculated that Mbonambi used the term "wit kant" in afrikaans meaning "white side".[7] After investigating the allegation, World Rugby found insufficient evidence and closed the case.[8]

Mbonambi said: "I think it is a very sad thing when you live in a first world country [England], you think the rest of the world speaks English.

"It was unprofessional on their part. They could have gone on a website and looked for an English dictionary and looked for the word in Afrikaans.

"People understood [in South Africa] but obviously their side was misunderstood."[9]

International statistics

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Test match record

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As of 8 October 2021
Against P W D L Try Pts %Won
 Argentina 6 5 0 1 1 5 83.33
 Australia 6 2 0 4 2 10 33.33
 British and Irish Lions 3 2 0 1 0 0 66.67
 England 5 3 0 2 0 0 60
 France 4 4 0 0 1 5 100
 Georgia 1 1 0 0 1 5 100
 Ireland 2 1 0 1 0 0 50
 Italy 3 2 0 1 2 10 66.67
 Japan 2 2 0 0 0 0 100
 Namibia 1 1 0 0 2 10 100
 New Zealand 8 2 1 5 0 0 31.25
 Scotland 1 1 0 0 0 0 100
 Wales 3 1 0 2 0 0 33.33
Total 45 27 1 17 9 45 61.11

Pld = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, Tri = Tries Scored, Pts = Points Scored

Test tries (9)

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Tries Opposition Location Venue Competition Date Result
1  Italy Padua, Italy Stadio Euganeo Test match 25 November 2017 Won 35–6
1  Australia Brisbane, Australia Suncorp Stadium 2018 Rugby Championship 8 September 2018 Lost 18–23
1  France Paris, France Stade de France Test match 10 November 2018 Won 29–26
1  Argentina Salta, Argentina Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena 2019 Rugby Championship 10 August 2019 Won 46–13
2  Namibia Aichi Prefecture, Japan Toyota Stadium 2019 Rugby World Cup 28 September 2019 Won 57–3
1  Italy Fukuroi, Japan Shizuoka Stadium 2019 Rugby World Cup 4 October 2019 Won 49–3
1  Georgia Pretoria, South Africa Loftus Versfeld Test match 2 July 2021 Won 40–9
1  Australia Gold Coast, Australia Cbus Super Stadium 2021 Rugby Championship 12 September 2021 Lost 26–28

References

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  1. ^ a b "Bongi Mbonambi player profile". rugbyworldcup.com. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  2. ^ "SA Under-20 squad named". Sport24. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  3. ^ "Squad of 31 ushers in new era of Springbok rugby". South African Rugby Union. 28 May 2016. Archived from the original on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  4. ^ "South Africa World Cup squad: Siya Kolisi wins fitness battle, Eben Etzebeth backed, Aphiwe Dyantyi dropped". Independent. 26 August 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  5. ^ "England 12-32 South Africa: Springboks win World Cup for record-equalling third time". BBC. 2 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  6. ^ "Bongi Mbonambi: World Rugby says 'insufficient evidence' to charge South Africa hooker over alleged racial slur at Tom Curry". Sky Sports. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  7. ^ Meagher, Gerard (29 October 2023). "Government declares 'the Webb Ellis is in South Africa's kant'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  8. ^ "World Rugby clears Mbonambi due to insufficient evidence of racial slur". Guardian. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  9. ^ Doel, Jon (7 November 2023). "Bongi Mbonambi breaks silence on Tom Curry and slams 'unprofessional' England". Wales Online. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
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